The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Trading in HMV shares on the London Stock Exchange has been suspended, and the company has announced it's intention to appoint administrators.

The decline of this household name has been brought about by on-line retail competition and the downloading epidemic which continues to increase.

So famous was the trademark that most British people referred to "HMV" rather than "The Gramophone Company".

Can HMV be saved? I certainly hope so.

Can it be saved? Absolutely not. It made some big mistakes by trying to compete on the cell phone / modern technology market. It should have promoted music more and stuck to what it was good at historically.

Does this mean HMV items are going to be more collectible I wonder?

"Downloading epidemic"? Nah, just the next thing, like cylinders to records to CD's; time marches on.

I'll miss the name, but the business evolves.

Yep, things change. Chain music stores are over. Break out the weepy violins.

Are you telling me that this is no longer redeemable and I am out a few quid?

Scott

I was planning try to return or exchange this Jascha Heifetz 78 I have that has a stuck groove. But I suppose that's out, too.

This is getting quite the coverage in the news. Lots of people saying they are sure there is still a future for the brand. We shall see- things can't get much bleaker. It has, however, prompted a degree of mass reminiscence-which is always welcome. I like this one in particular:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/6011 ... tures.html

MTPhono wrote:Are you telling me that this is no longer redeemable and I am out a few quid?

Scott

That'll be HMV! I worked there in the 1990s and at sale time there was stock on the floor at sale price and also at full price. We were instructed that if a customer brought a full price copy of an item that was in the sale, to sell it to them at full price and not point out that we were selling it cheaper. That was a ridiculous and I ignored it, clearly they didn't worry about customer loyalty.

From this morning's Metro

HMV are just nothing now compared to what they were!, they used to be the most well known maker of gramophones and records, the most successful in their field, if I talk to my friends about a gramophone, the first brand that comes to mind is HMV, but now it just sells overpriced CD's, DVDs and posters!, and doesn't actually make any items, over the years it has just become another highstreet name, merely a shadow in Its past!